UOWD To Hold 2 More Postgraduate Information Sessions In Abu Dhabi And Dubai This Weekend

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The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) is holding two more Postgraduate sessions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai this weekend, in response to the growing interest in postgraduate programs.

One session will be held at Hilton Abu Dhabi on Friday, July 15, and the final one will take place at the UOWD campus in Knowledge Village on Saturday, July 16. Both sessions will be held from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.

“Our postgraduate programs are among the most popular in the UAE and enrolments have been rising substantially over the years,” said Professor Rob Whelan, President UOWD. “We are organizing information session in four cities, due to growing interest in our postgraduate programs from across the UAE.’

Currently, UOWD has a total of 1,030 postgraduate students, of whom over 822 are residents of the UAE. While 493 are Dubai residents, 329 come from the neighbouring emirates of Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Fujairah, Ajman and Um Al Quwain.

The postgraduate programs offered by UOWD include MBA, Master in Strategic Marketing, International Business, Finance & Banking, Human Resource Management, Logistics, Quality, Engineering, International Studies and IT Management. One new program – Master of Media & Communications is to be introduced shortly, pending approval from CAA.
 

Etisalat Directory Services Renamed To Etisalat Information Services

Etisalat Directory Services, a subsidiary of Etisalat Services Holding, has been renamed to Etisalat Information Services.

The identity change was motivated by a new strategy to widen the scope of the business unit. Mr. Ali Al Sharid, CEO, Etisalat Services Holding, said: “We believe the newly-renamed Etisalat Information Services will reflect to our customers the widened scope of our products offering. With it will come new challenges as well as new business opportunities.”

Commenting on the renaming, Mr. Rashid Alnaqbi, General Manager of Etisalat Information Services, said: “Our main business focus has been on the production of information from raw data, coming from clients’ listings and databases from Etisalat. We will continue with this strategy in 2011 but widen our initial scope. The results of this strategic shift will be noticed later this year.”

Etisalat Information Services maintains UAE consumers’ directory listing database which is used by Directory Enquiries (181) and publishes annual white and yellow pages telephone directories in the UAE for residence and commercial usage through print, online and mobile.

Also, an iPhone native application is downloadable via App Store. It allows users to find a business by name, keyword or brand. Users can call listings directly from the application and find a business location using interactive maps.

The company will continue to provide its wide portfolio of services which include: Printed White Pages and Yellow Pages, iPhone Yellow Pages application and Internet Yellow Pages (www.yellowpages.ae or www.yp.ae), which can be accessed worldwide through the internet or by using any type of mobile phone with 3G, GPRS or Wi-Fi capability.
 

Riyadh To Host Health Information Technology Conference And Exhibition

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the 2011 HIMSS Middle East Conference and Exhibition. Delegates from the GCC and around the region will gather to examine cutting-edge health information technologies and effective IT management practices. This is the fourth edition of events sponsored by HIMSS in the region and it comes as governments in the GCC prepare to make major investments into healthcare IT.

“Purchasing technology isn’t enough to succeed in healthcare. The conference will give delegates the knowledge and best practices that can help provide better healthcare through the effective use of information technology,” said H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, HIMSS President/CEO.

High on the conference programme is the major national effort underway by the Ministry of Health to deploy electronic health records. Dr. Mohammed R Al Yemeni, PhD, Advisor to the Minister of Health and Supervisor of ICT will present the progress made in the first hundred days of the national eHealth programme. Dr. Al-Yemeni noted that, “Our ambitious plans will build on the pioneering eHealth advancements from many developed countries, and enable the Kingdom to provide a new generation of health care services to meet the accelerating expectations of its residents. Key to our success is to understand where other nations have failed and how we can avoid these costly errors.”

The Saudi Association for Health Informatics (SAHI) will present the conference in association with HIMSS and will select many regional and international themes and thought leaders to present. On behalf of SAHI, Mr. Hamad Al-Daig, Chief Information Officer at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre commented that, “Collaboration of HIMSS and SAHI to organize the HIMSS Middle East 2011 Conference & Exhibition will be a great event, taking the good track record of both the HIMSS and SAHI organization’s first class health information conferences.”

 

Ticket Information For Amy Winehouse, Pharrell Williams With His Band N*E*R*D And Mike Posner Live At Gulf Bike Week 2011

As announced by Done Events last week, Gulf Bike Week 2011 will be held at Dubai Festival City over three days as part of the upcoming Dubai Shopping Festival 2011 main events and will feature daily bike exhibitions, stunt bike shows, entertainment and a special Rolling Stone Magazine stage with local and regional bands performing. Following the daily activities the 15,000 capacity Gulf Bike Week concert arena will feature full live performances by top international artists Amy Winehouse, Pharrell Williams with his band N*E*R*D & Special Guest Mike Posner.

Thousands of fans who had registered for advance ticket information have already bought tickets and general public sales starts today Tuesday 21st December. Event and ticket information are as per below.

Pharrell Williams with his band N*E*R*D and special guest Mike Posner
Date: Thursday Feb 10th
Doors Open: 6pm
Show Starts 8pm
General Admission: 250 AED
Rockstar Lounge: 500 AED

Amy Winehouse
Date: Friday Feb 11th
Doors: 6pm
Show Starts: 9pm
General Admission: 300 AED
Golden Circle: 500 AED

All tickets can be purchased online via www.gulfbikeweek.com and offline tickets will be available shortly.

“Given the huge response following our announcement last week which saw thousands of fans registering on www.gulfbikeweek.com we expect tickets to sell fast and to have capacity crowds for both the February 10th. and 11th Concerts – it has been a while since we last had such exciting artists performing for the first time in Dubai“ says Thomas Ovesen, COO Done Events

Official after party details will be announced shortly and special travel and hotel packages can be booked via Alpha Tours and details will be available on www.gulfbikeweek.com soon.
 

More Than 100 Information Specialists Attend Regional Literacy Network Conference At Dubai Womens College

More than 100 information specialists attended the Gulf Region Information Literacy Network (ILN) Conference — the first and only network of its kind in the gulf region — at Dubai Women’s College (DWC), a Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) flagship institution.

The conference included 8 paper presentations, 6 workshops and various poster sessions centered on the theme of information literacy assessment and competency standards.

Robin Bishop, DWC Library Supervisor, ILN Conference committee member said, “To help achieve our main goals of facilitating the acquisition of lifelong learning skills and offer network and professional development opportunities, ILN offers one of the few opportunities librarians in the Gulf region have to come together and focus solely on information literacy and best practices.” She added that it is critically important for professionals in the Gulf Region to support each other through professional development opportunities such as this one.

“Sharing our experiences in this field is all the more necessary due to the lack of precedent when it comes to many of the innovative activities we pursue in our local colleges. Our topic, based on information literacy activities at Dubai Women’s College, will hopefully prove informative to professionals pursuing the same types of endeavors in the region and provide an opportunity for them to learn from both our mistakes and successes and build on the work we’ve done to apply it in another context,” Robin pointed out.

This year, ILN hosted keynote speaker Debra Gilchrist, Dean, Libraries and Institutional Effectiveness at Pierce College, Washington USA. Ms. Gilchrist has been significantly involved in information literacy and assessing learning outcomes for many years. Her address highlighted the importance of using assessment as a tool for change in improving student experience. This concept was further reinforced in her compelling workshop on strategies for collaboration with faculty on the design of learning assessments and student knowledge of information literacy. Her experience provided librarians in the Gulf region with an opportunity to gain insight from her expertise. "It’s critical for all students to benefit from information literacy, giving them the skills to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners.

Workshops, poster presentations and papers covered a wide range topics related to the enhancement of learning assessments designed to improve competency standards. Some even integrated technology with assessment to capture student interest like the Avatar-narrated short movies to teach information literacy skills.
 

du Partners With RTA To Broadcast Dalili Navigation System Information For The Benefit Of Motorists

du today announced that it has partnered with The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai in order to launch a new system that will help reduce traffic congestions and enable motorists to better plan their routes. The system will work by channeling all information related to the new advanced navigation system, known as Dalili, through du’s radio transmission system.

Once any traffic-related information has passed through du’s radio transmission system, the telco will then broadcast the signal which will subsequently be received by Dalili enabled devices. The signal, when received from Dalili data centre, will be broadcast throughout Dubai via a state-of-the-art broadcast station. This will enable users to receive live traffic updates while driving.

“We are proud of this partnership and pleased to be part of this important service by the RTA. As a company committed to improving the quality of life for people across the UAE, we are excited to have this opportunity to utilise our broadcast services for the good of the community. With this new system, we will contribute to considerably reducing traffic congestions and providing motorists with efficient trip planning,” commented Mohamed Al Shahi, Senior Director Broadcasting, du.

Explaining the features of the system, Abdullah Al Madani, CEO of RTA’s Corporate Technical Support Services Sector said: “Dalili system comprises a dynamic navigator fed on the city’s map and real-time information about the traffic condition, which will help users define their locations and identify the shortest routes. The traffic conditions depicted on the road network mean that motorists can change their routes and accordingly avoid traffic congestions. The system, which is capable of reducing congestions by rerouting vehicles to other roads, echoes RTA’s vision of Safe and Smooth Transport For All through enabling users to reach their intended destinations faster – i.e. distributing traffic density more evenly on roads.”

“We thank du for availing their expertise and broadcast services to distribute the signal throughout Dubai,” added Al Madani.

The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai is launching an advanced navigation system, known as Dalili, starting from 15 October 2010. The system will be mounted inside vehicles with the aim of enabling road users to avoid congested traffic spots and accordingly drive through short-cut routes to their intended destinations, based on accurate maps displayed on the system’s screen. The screen will depict a clear route description and display real-time information about the congested traffic spots.

For Your Attention And Information Introducing The Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai 12  27 November 2010

The fourth of the Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas, the event in Dubai will be the grande finale, as the event gives way to the next America’s Cup. The top teams from around the world will compete at Dubai International Marine Club in Mina Seyahi and conditions are sure to provide excellent racing – local northwesterly winds, called the ”shamal”, frequently develop during the winter, bringing cooler windy conditions. Prevailing winds, which are influenced by the monsoons, vary between south or southeast, to west or north to northwest, depending upon the season. From November to April daytime temperatures average a very pleasant 24° C (75° F) with nighttime temperatures slightly cooler, averaging 13° C (56°F). Among the unique and special aspects of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai will be Heritage Day, when many of the sailors will be invited to compete during the dhow races. This will be the first time foreigners are permitted to race on these traditional crafts, a fitting way to honour the tradition and technology at the heart of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

IMPORTANT DATES TO SAVE –
PRESS CONFERENCE 11th November after the practice races which press can join.
KEY DATES: 23rd October – Arrival of Emirates Team New Zealand Americas Cup boats from Jebel Ali Port
From 5th November – Arrival of teams
10th November – Media Centre Opening
12th – 13th November – Practice Racing
14th November 11:00 Racing starts
19th November – Junior Sailing Race
20th November 14:00 Heritage Race – International Teams racing on local dhows
21st – 23rd November Racing
24th November – Reserve Day
25th November – Semi Final
26th November – Final Junior Race
27th November – Louis Vuitton Final

The Official Event Website
www.louisvuittontrophy.com is the place to come and follow the action. With stunning images, news, features and results, the website has all the information you need to live the event, including video and audio interviews. And there is live streaming coverage of the racing, with expert commentary and animation, so you don’t miss a second of your favourite team in action. Media can register on the site (click the media button, top-right of the page) for access to press releases, high-resolution images, and other media material, as well as to accredit for each of the Louis Vuitton Trophy events.

There will be a fully equipped media centre in the race village and press boats available to view the racing up close. Please register on the Louis Vuitton Trophy Website where photos are available to download in hi res and there is more information to be found.

Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University Wins Membership With International Federation For Information Processing

Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University (HBMeU), a leader in the field of e-Learning in the Arab World, has announced that it has been voted as a new member of the prestigious International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) during the IFIP General Assembly 2010 held recently in Australia. HBMeU sent a high-level delegation to Australia led by HBMeU Chancellor Dr. Mansoor Al Awar to campaign for HBMeU’s membership with the IFIP and to attend the IFIP General Assembly.

With HBMeU’s new milestone, the UAE becomes a member of the IFIP, which celebrated its 50th anniversary during this year’s General Assembly. The HBMeU delegation actively participated in the various programs of the General Assembly, joining expert presenters and thousands of participants and exhibitors from more than 66 countries in discussing and showcasing the latest innovations, international research and commercial and industry-focused insights related to computer technology.

Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of HBMeU, said: "HBMeU’s membership with the International Federation for Information Processing is a strong vote of confidence on the university’s ability to contribute in the growth and further development of the IFIP organisation. Moreover, our participation at the General Assembly reinforced our global network of partners and gave us access to the latest innovations, research work and technology solutions that are relevant to HBMeU’s efforts to promote open and distance learning in the UAE and the Middle East. HBMeU is keen to implement the key concepts that we have learned from the Assembly, while it was equally satisfying for us to share our own insights and technological expertise in the field of non-traditional teaching methods."

IFIP is a non-governmental, non-profit umbrella organisation for national societies working in the field of information processing. Recognized by United Nations and other world bodies, IFIP represents IT societies from 56 countries or regions, covering all five continents with a total membership of over half a million.

HBMeU is the first virtual university in the Arab World that was established with the vision to develop a new learning process through the implementation of teaching practices characterised by flexibility, quality and diversity to strengthen self-leadership among students and prepare them socially and academically for a future career through integration in the job market. HBMeU’s philosophy is based on vital methods that have been developed through extensive research and development by specialists from all over the world. These methods include offering high quality programs, supporting the pursuit of lifelong learning, promoting the freedom of information, reinforcing the culture of excellence and innovation and providing education for everyone in line with the highest standards of comprehensiveness and credibility. The university seeks to constantly identify knowledge needs, support research and development programs and create an outstanding environment for e-learning.
 

Dubai eGovernment Upgrades Its Government Information Network

Dubai eGovernment’s Infrastructure Management Department has completed upgrades to the Government Information Network (GIN) as part of its commitment to facilitate the emirate’s eTransformation and develop faster and easier access to its eServices. GIN serves as the cornerstone of the electronic infrastructure connecting government systems that effectively transfers information and handles transactions.

“For updating the Government Information Network, we used the advanced ‘Cloud Computing’ technology to connect both local government departments in Dubai and regular clients. This involved increasing capacity by up to 300 per cent for the main network lines in order to meet the growing demand for eServices, adopting advanced technologies that meet the highest international standards, and accommodating additional capabilities required by the introduction of new services in local departments to cater to the future needs of all community segments.

Moreover, the speed of information exchange was also boosted by up to 200 per cent,” said Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment.

“Dubai eGovernment spares no effort to apply the world’s latest technologies, electronic components and infrastructure to make it easier for government departments to offer secure and high-quality eServices to the public and thus excel in their specialized fields. Our decision to adopt shared service systems is based on the cost savings, flexibility and operational efficiency made possible by such structures, which are in line with general trends influenced by current global economic conditions,” added Bin Humaidan.

Matar Al Humairi, Director of Infrastructure Management Department, Dubai eGovernment, commented: “These upgrades significantly enhance connectivity and enable highly-efficient servicing of departmental business 24 hours a day. They support the departments’ information requirements in line with the vision of providing a one-stop-shop for client transactions and include high-level security features to prevent external intrusions and interference.”

“The enhancements represent the second stage of plans set forth by Dubai eGovernment in 2009 to upgrade the electronic networks of 36 local government departments. This phase was originally intended to cover the main network lines only but eventually expanded to include spare lines as well. The latest upgrades constitute 50 per cent of the entire plan,” he added.

Describing the benefits of the upgrades, Al Humairi said: “The network improvements have resulted in a 50 per cent increase in internet speed and therefore higher inter-departmental connectivity and communications. They have also enabled departments to gain access to advanced technologies and have substantially helped reduce operational costs.”

The Infrastructure Management Department, which handled the implementation of the GIN upgrades, is one of three Dubai eGovernment sections that also include eServices and Government Resource Planning (GRP). Over the past few years Dubai eGovernment has built a unified, safe, cost-effective and highly reliable government information network to underpin Dubai’s electronic infrastructure. This network is managed by dedicated personnel who enforce policies for external connections and constantly monitor performance to guarantee uninterrupted work and immediate intervention during emergencies.
 

Dubai Silicon Oasis And General Information Authority Organize Blood Donation Campaign

Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), an integrated free zone technology park, and General Information Authority (GIA), in collaboration with Dubai Health Authority (DHA), organized a one-day blood donation drive at the headquarters of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA).

Held on 20 June, the initiative witnessed a significant number of DSOA employees and customers volunteering to donate blood in aid of ‘Thalassemia’ patients as well as those in need of blood.

The blood donation drive was organized to mark the World Blood Donor’s Day. Set annually by World Health Organisation (WHO) for 14 June, the day acknowledged the gesture of millions of people around the world who volunteer to donate their blood for saving the lives of others or enhancing the chances of their recovery from various diseases. The 2010 event focused on young blood donors with its slogan ‘New blood for the world’.

Dr Juma Al Matrooshi, Executive Vice President – Corporate Excellence and Support – DSOA said: “DSOA’s participation emphasizes the approach it takes as an integrated community that seeks to enhance the bonds of communication and harmony. We are pleased to co-operate with two of the most significant institutions that are keen to provide services to the society through humanitarian initiatives and activities.”

Salem Al Shaer, Director General of GIA said: “We are pleased to work with DHA and DSOA to fulfill this initiative, which serves the local society and manifests one of the significant concepts of the UAE strategy. We are confident other organizations in the UAE will also come forward for the benefit of the community at large.”

DHA will ensure the delivery of the donated blood units to those with Thalassemia and heart diseases as well as the victims of accidents and other mishaps at all hospitals across the UAE.

The World Blood Donor Day is based on the need to pay tribute to those involved in relevant humanitarian initiatives while encouraging wider participation from the community.